Spreading the virus for herd immunity would be 'catastrophic'

[dufus]

The term "herd immunity" spread around social media amid speculation the UK government was lagging behind other nations in imposing social distancing measures.

 

Infectious disease experts have warned against a controversial suggestion that authorities should let the deadly coronavirus spread so a large proportion of the community is immune to the virus.

 

The term "herd immunity" spread around social media on Monday amid speculation the United Kingdom government was lagging behind other nations in imposing social distancing measures as part of an intentional strategy to allow widespread infection in the population.

 

Raina MacIntyre, head of the biosecurity program at the UNSW's Kirby Institute, said allowing people to be infected was an "extremely dangerous" strategy and a breach of medical ethics that would put vulnerable people at risk.

 

To achieve herd immunity - meaning enough people become immune to a virus through exposure that its spread is thwarted - required between 55 and 60 per cent of a population to be infected, she said.

 

That is a catastrophic scenario - our health system [would] fall over completely and there [would] be many deaths," MacIntyre said.

 

It was not possible to just "get a bit of infection here and there" and prevent the outbreak from spiralling, she said.

 

If authorities waited until this happened to implement social distancing measures aimed at slowing the spread, it would be too late, she said.

 

"There would be a massive surge and the system would fall over, with no benefit ... The whole of society would crumble."

 

Deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly told reporters in Sydney on Sunday that the fact there was no COVID-19 vaccine available meant that "there is no herd immunity".

 

"It's not like flu. It's not like any other viruses and diseases where we have vaccination ... everyone is susceptible to this virus," Kelly said.

 

"And so that's why these unusual and proportionate measures that we are taking now to prevent the worst case scenario, which is that very high peak, is really important."

 

Monash University epidemiologist Allen Cheng said allowing the coronavirus to spread to achieve herd immunity was "a risky strategy, but may very well be the ultimate outcome".

 

"We don't know the duration of immunity after infection, the intensity of transmission in children isn't clear, and it would be hard to prevent mixing between less susceptible and more susceptible groups," Cheng said.

 

"Public health interventions are a very blunt tool - it's hard to work out how effective they are, and can't easily be turned on or off."

 

sauce

[Jogs]

May be the person suggesting this himself has the virus inside his head. 😁